A group of 60 newly recruited staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have raised the alarm over prolonged delay in their postings and onboarding, nearly two years after accepting their employment letters.
The affected workers said the apex bank issued them provisional offer of employment letters on August 28, 2023, which were followed by acceptance forms and instructions to resign from their previous places of employment as part of the documentation process.
Speaking on behalf of the group during a press conference held at the secretariat of the Bauchi State Correspondents' Chapel in Bauchi on Monday, Emmanuel Linus Dabo said that many of them complied fully with the apex bank's directives and resigned from their former jobs in anticipation of resumption.
"We all tendered resignation letters to our former employers at the time to enable us complete the CBN process," he said.
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According to Dabo, the recruitment process began in April 2023 with the submission of resumes to the CBN headquarters. He explained that shortlisted applicants were later invited for interviews, aptitude tests, and medical examinations conducted through the medical facility of the CBN.
"After completing the interview, medical screening and aptitude test, successful candidates were contacted by the Human Resources Department and invited to the CBN headquarters in Abuja to collect their offer letters. We filled and returned our acceptance forms immediately," he said.
He added that the recruited workers subsequently received multiple emails from the Human Resources Department requesting online submission of credentials, including acknowledged copies of resignation letters from their former employers.
However, Dabo said that after completing all documentation, communication from the apex bank abruptly stopped, leaving many of them unemployed and uncertain about their future.
According to documents obtained by our correspondent, the offer letters described the appointments as provisional, subject to a one-year probationary period after which confirmation of appointment would be done based on satisfactory performance.
The group disclosed that several reminder letters were written to the CBN management, including letters addressed to the current CBN Governor in September 2023, November 2024 and January 2025, but none received a response.
Appealing to the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, President Bola Tinubu, and other relevant authorities, the newly recruited workers said the prolonged delay has plunged many of them into severe financial hardship.
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"Some of our colleagues are battling depression. Recently, we had to contribute N3,000 each to support some of them currently receiving medical care," Dabo said.
He lamented that many of the affected persons were struggling to pay rent, meet basic living expenses, and keep their children in school, while others who returned from overseas to serve the country are now facing worsening economic conditions.
"We are pleading for urgent intervention. The situation is becoming unbearable," he added.
